Corrosion is a pervasive and expensive problem in applications ranging from construction to microelectronics. Corrosion has been widely studied in theories, and empirical studies exist for common materials, material combinations, and myriad environmental conditions. In order for microelectronic devices to perform and function properly, a high reliability packaging is important. Failure of microelectronic devices and packages not only causes a malfunction of the devices themselves but can lead to catastrophic events for entire systems, which may cause loss of life, property, and safety.
Corrosion of microelectronic packages and devices depends on the package type, electronic materials, fabrication and assembly processes, as well as environmental conditions, such as moisture condensation, ionic or organic contaminants, temperature, residual and thermal stress, and electrical bias. With the continued reduction of feature sizes of microelectronic device, such devices are more susceptible to corrosion-induced failures. Improved performance and reliability requirements demand improved corrosion resistance.